


a pinch of sweet magic

by Lumeha



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Meet-Cute, Ultra Rarepair Big Bang (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), and witchcraft-cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeha/pseuds/Lumeha
Summary: The first time Annette saw the other young woman, it was in the vast and half-empty lecture theater that welcomed her course on the history of the Church of Seiros and its branches all across the continent. But, more than the striking appearance of her white hair, it was seeing her sitting, alone, at the first row, that caught Annette’s eyes, and she jogged down the stairs and picked a chair on the second row.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Lysithea von Ordelia
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	a pinch of sweet magic

**Author's Note:**

> The art for this fic was provided by the absolutely lovely [Lois](https://twitter.com/lv2nt) ! Please give her all the love, she deserves it for everything she did !
> 
> I will post the rest of the fic during the week, enjoy !

The first time Annette saw the other young woman, it was in the vast and half-empty lecture theater that welcomed her course on the history of the Church of Seiros and its branches all across the continent. But, more than the striking appearance of her white hair, it was seeing her sitting, alone, at the first row, that caught Annette’s eyes, and she jogged down the stairs and picked a chair on the second row. 

Before she could lean down and ask her (ask her what ? She hadn’t thought it through, she realized, when she thought back about it, and her face burned in embarrassment that night), the teacher entered the room and welcomed them with a joke so awful that a few embarrassed chuckles were heard in the theater. And Annette had scrambled to pull her notebook and pencil case out of her bag, humming softly under her breath as she did her best to focus on the lesson ahead. 

At the end of the lecture, before Annette could gather her courage and say hello to the other girl, she had already left, her neat notes packed and her steps disappearing in the air.

**\---**

“... Did you make this yourself ?”

Annette jumped and blinked, and leaned down to look at the girl in the row below her. After a few weeks hoping to say more than a mumbled “hi”, she had accepted that this was a somewhat desperate endeavour. Her classmate was much more interested in her studies, and this was their only shared class. Sometimes, that was how it was, and she had accepted it. 

The woman was looking at the charm on her bag. The little thing was a bit frayed, the cord replaced more times than she was willing to admit, and yet, nothing would make her change it. It was precious to her, and she moved it from bag to bag, year after year. A bit ridiculous, but precious. Discreet. Or maybe not as discreet as she had thought, since the other girl had noticed it.

"It's... Yes. Yes, I made it myself. Why ?"

She reached out for it, and Annette stopped her, the tip of her fingers on her wrist, the touch almost nonexistent. But the girl stopped, and turned to look at her rather than the little spell hanging from her bag, and it made her heart beat a bit too hard in her ears. But she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or from the intensity of the gaze that studied her, pale red eyes making her blush.

"What is it made of ? I never saw one quite like that."

"Oh!” Annette took a breath and offered a smile. “My mom taught me how to sew like this. It’s some scraps of fabrics, and a little bit of thread a friend gifted me."

"And inside ?"

It wasn't so obvious, usually. Never quite so. Annette didn't answer, too surprised by the question, and the girl's gaze went to her own elegant black bag, before gesturing at it. On the side hung a little charm, too, but vastly different from the one she had. It was made out of wood, burnt and worked from what looked like a slice of a beloved tree, a braid of ribbons in shades of purple carefully threaded through a hole at the top. The colours were so harmonious with what the girl wore that, if it hadn't been pointed out to her, Annette wouldn't have noticed it there, or noticed that it was more than a simple, aesthetically pleasing keychain. "I have never seen something like what you do. I am... curious as to what you used," the girl said.

"I didn't expect... Sorry, I was just so surprised, people don't usually notice what it is. And I just don't usually... Ah. You probably understand that.” (The girl hummed a confirmation, inviting her to go one with a wave of her hand) “I have mostly used a little bit of everything inside, you know ? Dried lavender, rosemary, a little gemstone. A paper slip to tie it all together."

The woman nodded, her expression intense, her hand under her chin. She opened her mouth to ask another question when the booming voice of their professor echoed in the room, with another terrible joke to open the lecture. With a small huff, she turned back toward the front of the room.

But when the class was dismissed, she waited for Annette to pack her bag, and didn’t disappear as soon as possible. 

And after that day, every week, Lysithea waited for her after the class so they could discuss on their way to their next course. And, every time, Annette felt her heart warm her from the inside out, a giddy smile on her lips, as she excitedly talked about the intricate details of divination and the history behind spells she had found in her research, or the more mundane and casual ways one of her friends kept feeding the stray cats near her dorm, and how much she wanted to pet them.

**\---**

Annette pushed the door of the tea house and held it with a smile, her heart racing and beating in her ears. Lysithea’s cheeks were reddened by the cold wind, and she whispered a hasty thank you as she entered. It was much warmer inside. The yellow light of the lamps on the wall gave the place a cozy ambiance. Every time Annette came here, it reminded her of the living room at her grandparents house. 

A young man in a simple but elegant uniform greeted them, before guiding them to a small table in the corner of the room. From there, they could see the whole floor, the back and forth of customers at the door. 

“Their saghert is really good, if you want to eat something," Annette said while reading the menu. She already knew it by heart, but it gave her something to look at without feeling too awkward. Picking between the apple blend and the rose tea was hard. 

When the waiter came to their table to take their order, Annette had finally decided on the almond blend. The collection of sweets that the other girl asked for, topped by the recommended saghert, made Annette smile, and she tried to hide it behind her hand. A small huff answered her, and it reminded her of a bothered and yet still adorable cat.

“Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not ! I’m not. Promise.”

With an annoyed, and a little more than suspicious, glance, Lysithea turned her head to look at the room, chin in hand, her shoulder tense. Annette bit her lip. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to mock you. I am glad you found a lot you like ! This is really one of the best places in town for this, I hope you will like them.”

After a long pause, Lysithea gave a short, curt nod, and crossed her wrists in front of her on the table. “Maybe you can try the ones you haven’t. If you want.” Her voice was tense, still, but softened around its sharp edges. 

“That reminds me,” Annette started, as she brought her bag to her lap and started rummaging through it. “I saw something at the bookstore last week, and I had to get it for you !” She pulled out a small package, wrapped in an adorable scrap of fabric decorated with little cups, mugs and spoons, and held it out. 

When the knots came unraveled, any remnants of irritation evaporated from Lysithea’s face, as she held the deck of cards in between her hands. It had been an impulse buy, a little something that had caught her eyes while searching for that one book no uni library had, and that the professor had told them all was, really,  _ truly  _ an optional read, but the topic had interested her and… 

" You shouldn’t have.”

The words didn’t match the small, pleased smile on Lysithea’s lips. 

Before Annette could say anything, the waiter came with a myriad of plates, arranging them all around the table, before serving them their teas. As soon as the man left, Lysithea wrapped the deck once more in its fabric, a soft thank on her lips, and put it aside, her eyes lingering on the pattern. 

“Maybe you can try it a little later ?”

“Hmhm. After I have tried these,” she said, digging into an adorable strawberry tartlet with a fine drizzle of chocolate. “But I will. Maybe I should do a reading for you.”

“Only if you let me read for you !”

Lysithea shook her head as Annette kept arguing for how helpful it would be to her to do a reading for someone knowledgeable with tarot, unlike her friends, and how much it would mean to her. 

“... Tell me, what do you know about ghosts ?” Lysithea asked suddenly, her lips a thin line of concern, after she had pulled her phone out of her pocket. Her eyes darted from the screen to Annette. 

“I… rarely deal with that. What is going on ?”

“A friend… I told her to ask me for help if she needed it. And she… thinks she might have something in her flat. A ghost. I am sure it’s nothing ! Nothing at all. No creepy crawlies.” Her voice had gone a little breathy, a little too fast, and the words were clashing against each other on her tongue. “But she really wants me to check it for her, and it’s probably just mice, but…”

“Don’t worry, if I can help, I will do it !”

Lysithea put down her phone on the table and gifted her a small, relieved smile, and Annette had to resist with all her strength the impulse to excitedly clap her hands. Perhaps it was a bit naive of her, but being asked to help made her feel as if, no matter the awkwardness or her own doubts, the other woman trusted her. 

“You should try the apple tartlet,” Lysithea suddenly said, pushing half of the pastry toward Annette. “It’s good.” 


End file.
